Veteran news host Bill O’Reilly suggested Wednesday that President Trump’s controversial “Trump Gaza” video reflects a vision for economic prosperity in the region, not U.S. occupation.
“What Donald Trump believes is you’re never going to have peace in that region unless there’s prosperity,” O’Reilly said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “CUOMO.”
“The fastest, easiest way to get to prosperity is to build the Mediterranean coastline and employ a lot of people in the building and the servicing of resorts,” he added.
Trump shared a 33-second AI-generated video on Truth Social showing Gaza transformed from ruins into a beachfront paradise featuring golden Trump statues, luxury hotels and scenes of celebration.
The video comes as Trump has proposed turning Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”
O’Reilly said he discussed this concept with Trump “in person” and that the president’s vision predated recent public statements about U.S. involvement in Gaza. According to the former Fox News host, Trump envisions Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Arab nations funding the development, not America.
“He just wanted to scare Hamas,” O’Reilly said of Trump’s previous statements suggesting U.S. control of Gaza. “[But] it’s never going to happen. The terrorists will prevent it from happening. But if it could happen, that would be a benefit to the poor Gazans.”
Trump has also suggested Palestinians be permanently relocated after the war between Israel and Hamas is over.
The plan invited a bevy of criticism from Arab American and Muslim leaders, heads of Western countries and leaders of nations in the Middle East.
During an interview with Fox News that aired earlier this month, Trump also suggested Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza.
“In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them, because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever — it’s not habitable,” Trump said at the time. “It would be years before it could happen.”
Hamas, which has long ruled in Gaza, blasted the video Trump shared, saying in a statement the president is “again proposing ideas and solutions that do not take into account the cultures and interests of the indigenous population” and calling for Palestinians to establish their own state.
The militant group added Wednesday that it is “ready to cooperate with any party that wants to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip” and help rebuild the area while “respecting the will of our people and their adherence to their land.”
Israel and Hamas are currently under a fragile ceasefire agreement, which brought an end to the conflict that began with an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The second phase of the deal is supposed to begin soon after the remaining hostages and Palestinian prisoners are exchanged.
